Where does “mayfish” come from?
mayfish (English) comes from English May, from French mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Māius, from Latin Maia, from Ancient Greek μαῖα, from Ancient Greek μήτηρ, from Proto-Hellenic mā́tēr — mother.
mayfish (English): A common American minnow
Ancestry of “mayfish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | May | — |
| 2 | French | mai | May |
| 3 | Old French | mai | — |
| 4 | Latin | Māius | — |
| 5 | Latin | Maia | nominative feminine singular of Maius; nominative... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μαῖα | midwife; foster mother, nurse; good mother, dame |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μήτηρ | mother; source or origin |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | mā́tēr | mother |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |